Darkshine Knight
The Darkshine Knight is a major villain in the video game Trials of Mana. He is an immensely powerful Chaos Knight acting as the third-in-command of the Dragon Lord. He mostly appears in Duran's and Angela's story, being in fact Duran's late father, whose soul was enslaved and reincarnated by the Dragon Lord. Background The Darkshine Knight was once known as Loki, the most powerful Golden Knight (elite knight) of the Grassland Kingdom of Valsena, as well as Prince Richard’s best friend and right-hand-man. He is a playable in the game Heroes of Mana, set 19 years before the story. He partakes in the coalition against the warmongering Ancient Kingdom of Pedda, which threatened to invade the world of Fa'Diel. Anise, the avatar of the former Archdemon Medusa, corrupted Inath, the boy king of Pedda, to resurrect and return to power. She was destroyed for good, sadly taking Pedda along with her. Around 4 years later, Loki left his wife Simone, and his two children Duran and Wendy, in the care of his sister-in-law Stella, because he had to fight alongside Prince Richard and the Valsenian army against the forces of the demonic Dragon Lord, who set out for world domination in his turn. At some point, Duran is sent in the past by a ripple of Mana Power and tries to warn him, but in vain. Though Loki hopes that his son becomes a fine young man like him, not knowing that his wish is granted. Loki ultimately fought the Dragon Lord, ending the war at the cost of his life when they both fell into a bottomless pit. However, the Dragon Lord’s spirit remained and resolved to gain Loki’s power. He brainwashed him and Loki and sealed his soul in an armour, turning him into the Darkshine Knight. A few years later, The Dragon Lord stroke a deal with the Crimson Wizard, partially reviving, and hatched a plan to be fully reborn even mightier and become the new god of Fa'Diel, by releasing the Benevodons. Characteristics Once noble, stalwart, kind and with a good sense of humour, if a bit too confident, Loki is now a cold, cruel and merciless killing machine, who only talks when he has to. He retains a soft spot for his son, whom he wants to have by his side, but not enough to spare him should he refuse. He is an immensely skilled swordsman, who masters all sword techniques and sword-boosting spells. He is close to Duran's Dark Aligned Classes, fitting the warped mirror of his son he is. His soul is bound to the Dragon Lord, and his liege's eventual death would soon be followed by his own. In Game The Darkshine Knight is first met when draining the energy of Jinn, Mana Spirit of Wind, using it to summon the harpy Harcypete, who must be destroyed. He later sends three Machine Golems against the heroes, to prevent the player from reaching the Magic Kingdom of Altena. If Duran is in the party, he recognizes him but departs without a word. If neither Duran nor Angela is the main hero, then Crimson Wizard and the Dragon Lord will be killed by the final boss. The Darkshine Knight survives long enough to tell the heroes and disappears trying to tell Duran is secret. When the party reaches the Mana Sanctuary and the Mana Tree (the Mana Goddess' avatar), the Dragon Lord kills all his rivals and their servants. The Darkshine Knight and the Crimson Wizard capture the heroes' Faerie Guide in exchange for the legendary Sword of Mana. He heals the Wizard who was harmed by the Sword’s Holy Power, and they bind it to their will the release the Benevodons, before unleashing their armies of monsters on the world. After slaying the Benevodons, the heroes face the Darkshine Knight in the Glass Desert. If Duran is in the party, the Knight reveals his identity and asks Duran to join the Dragon Lord's side, mirroring Darth Vader. He prepares to extract his son's soul to make him the same as he has become, but the Faerie intervenes and they do battle. When defeated, Loki's soul thanks his son for freeing him and departs with encouraging words. If Duran is not present, the Darkshine Knight attacks without a word and his secret vanishes with him. Boss Battle The Darkshine Knight is feared as the hardest to defeat of the third-in-commands. The mightier the heroes are the better, for he is at level 44 and has 17132 life-points, way more than Crimson Wizard himself. Prepare for a very long and gruelling battle. Better avoid fighting at close range, for his sword strikes can hit several heroes, or strike one of them twice. His counterattacks are deadly, so avoid powerful attacks. He can cast the Strengthen and Defender spells on himself, and uses Duran's sword techniques, favouring a quick combo of Spin Slash (a whirling charge in circles), Hollow Slash (countless twisters clockwise from his blade) and Quakebringer (a ground stab causing blazing explosions). His attacks are horribly powerful and strike every hero, so they must try to corner him to prevent his attacks. The Knight is weak to the Light element, so Light magic must be cast on weapons and Light-based spells must be cast. The heroes must also try to weaken him and boost the heroes in every way. The heroes must not stay close to him longer than necessary, and avoid too powerful attacks out of fear of his deadly retaliation, and heal whenever life-points decrease under at least 200. ''Circle of Mana'' Like nearly every character of the Mana series, Loki is playable in the card-based role-playing game Circle of Mana, both as his noble Golden Knight normal self and his corrupted Darkshine Knight persona. The characters are played as cards to save the Mana Tree from monsters, and they can gain power, equipment and Class Changes. Several cards featuring him are available, each evolving following a distinct path. Category:Fantasy Villains Category:Video Game Villains Category:Related to Hero Category:Fallen Heroes Category:Possessed/Brainwashed Category:Male Category:Dark Knights Category:Undead Category:Fighters Category:Deceased